JOHAN. And _you_ say this to me? Martha, has your brother never——? MARTHA. What of him? JOHAN. Has he never——? Oh, I mean has he never said so much as a word in my defence? MARTHA. Ah, Johan, you know Karsten’s strict principles. JOHAN. H’m—of course, of course—yes, I know my old friend Karsten’s strict principles.—But this is——! Well, well—I have just been talking to him. It seems to me he has changed a good deal. MARTHA. How can you say so? Karsten has always been an excellent man. JOHAN. That was not exactly what I meant; but let that pass.—H’m; now I understand the light you have seen me in; it is the prodigal’s return that you have been waiting for. MARTHA. Listen, Johan, and I will tell you in what light I have seen you. [_Points down to the garden._] Do you see that girl playing on the lawn with Olaf? That is Dina. Do you remember that confused letter you wrote me when you went away? You asked me to believe in you. I _have_ believed in you, Johan. All the bad things that there were rumours of afterwards must have been done in desperation, without thought, without purpose—— JOHAN. What do you mean? MARTHA. Oh, you understand me well enough; no more of that. But you had to go away—to begin afresh—a new life. See, Johan, I have stood in your place here, I, your old playfellow. The duties you forgot, or could not fulfil, I have fulfilled for you. I tell you this, that you may have the less to reproach yourself with. I have been a mother to that much-wronged child; I have brought her up as well as I could—— JOHAN. And thrown away your whole life in doing so! MARTHA. It has not been thrown away. But you have been long of coming, Johan. JOHAN. Martha—if I could say to you——Well, at all events let me thank you for your faithful friendship. MARTHA. [_Smiling sadly._] Ah——! Well, now we have made a clean breast of things, Johan. Hush, here comes some one. Good-bye; I don’t want them to—— [_She goes out through the second door on the left._ LONA HESSEL _comes from the garden, followed by_ MRS. BERNICK. MRS. BERNICK. [_Still in the garden._] Good heavens, Lona, what can you be thinking of? LONA. Let me alone, I tell you; I must and will talk to him. MRS. BERNICK. Think what a frightful scandal it would be! Ah, Johan, are you still here? LONA.